Casterline, John

Conte, Edouard

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Kinship in Arab Societies: Changing Configurations, Changing Social Identitieshttps://mershoncenter.osu.edu/...rch/2012-2013/298-area-of-expertise/research-2012-2013/3147-kinship-in-arab-societies-changing-configurations-changing-social-identities.html[7/25/2019 3:04:25 PM]Help BuckeyeLink Map Find People Webmail  You are here:   Home  Research  2012-2013  Research  Research 2012-2013  Kinship in Arab Societies: Changing Configurations, Changing Social IdentitiesKINSHIP IN ARAB SOCIETIES: CHANGING CONFIGURATIONS, CHANGING SOCIALIDENTITIESPrincipal Investigators: John Casterline, Robert T. Lazarus Professor inPopulation Studies, and Edouard Conte, University of BernKinship is fundamental to social identity in Arab society, occupying a muchmore important place than in the West. Siblingship in particular is pivotal, withup to 40 percent of marriages in some countries contracted between cousins(i.e. between siblings’ children). Siblings are also a source of important socialand financial support, acting as a form of job security and insurance.Given the central role that kinship play in the Arab region, it is crucial to assessthe consequences of ongoing demographic trends, and how these trends arelikely to affect social and political processes. In this project, John Casterline andEdouard Conte set out to do this through an approach that blends demographyand anthropology.The demographic transition – declines in mortality rates followed by declines infertility rates –has radically transformed the demographic structure of Arabsocieties since World War II. With the decline in fertility – from seven births perwoman on average to two births per woman on average – the composition ofArab families has changed dramatically, with far fewer brothers and sisters aswell as fewer nieces, nephews, and cousins. Parents live longer, and more siblings survive into adulthood.What will this mean for Arab society? Casterline and Conte address this problem through a mix of analytical approaches andempirical materials. Exceptionally detailed genealogies from Palestine will be subjected to both anthropological kinship analysisand demographic analysis. Marriage patterns in demographic surveys spanning four decades will be considered; these areavailable in several countries including Egypt and Jordan.Finally, kinship microsimulation (fictional populations generated by applying varying schedules of mortality, fertility, and marriage)will be used to gauge the sensitivity of kin configurations to factors such as age of marriage, number of children, and age ofdeath. The goal is to describe the possible range of kin structures which will characterize Arab societies over the next fewdecades.Even in low-mortality, low-fertility societies, the range of kin structures can be surprisingly large. For example, consider twosocieties that have fertility rates of 1.7 and 2.2 births per woman. In the first, 70 percent of the next generation will have only onesibling, while in the second 68 percent of the next generation will have two siblings. The societies will also differ in the number oflateral kin such as aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. All this has consequences for societies in which siblings andlateral kin have been central to day-to-day livelihoods as well as long-term social and political dynamics.Outputs from this project will include articles for journal publication; a multi-disciplinary conference held at the University ofFribourg (Switzerland) in May 2014; an edited volume containing papers from the conference; and a proposal to the NationalScience Foundation.  2016-20172015-20162014-20152013-20142012-20132011-20122010-20112009-20102008-20092007-20082006-2007MERSHON CENTER ARTS AND SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS RESOURCES ABOUT US RESEARCH NEWS EVENTS GRANTS PEOPLE PUBLICATIONS CONTACTKinship in Arab Societies: Changing Configurations, Changing Social Identitieshttps://mershoncenter.osu.edu/...rch/2012-2013/298-area-of-expertise/research-2012-2013/3147-kinship-in-arab-societies-changing-configurations-changing-social-identities.html[7/25/2019 3:04:25 PM]About UsResearchNewsEventsGrantsPeoplePublicationsContactCollege of Arts and SciencesAcademicsAbout the CollegeNews and EventsResearchArts and CultureAlumniOffice of International AffairsCenter for African StudiesCenter for Latin American StudiesCenter for Slavic & East EuropeanStudiesEast Asian Studies CenterInstitute for Chinese StudiesInstitute for Japanese StudiesInstitute for Korean StudiesMiddle East Studies CenterEvents CalendarE-NewslettersAnnual ReportsFact SheetExperts ListFaculty BooksFurniss AwardKnowledge Bank © 2013 Mershon Center for International Security Studies – College of Arts and Sciences1501 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43201Phone: 614-292-1681 | Fax: 614-292-2407Request an alternate format of this page.   

Kinship in Arab Societies: Changing Configurations, Changing Social Identities

https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/1811/88182/1/Mershon_Research_Casterline_Conte_KinshipinArabSocieties_2012-2013.pdf

Kinship in Arab Societies: Changing Configurations, Changing Social Identities

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